The American Express Platinum Edge credit card is a popular card among points collectors and travellers. For a mid-range card, it offers a mix of points for everyday spend, with a good range of included perks.
For the point collector, it offers 3 points for spend at major supermarkets and petrol stations, and 2 points on spend overseas. Points can be transferred to nine airline partners and two hotel partners.
Points Earning
One area this card shines in is its points earning potential. When spending at most businesses, the card offers 1 Membership Reward point per dollar. This gets boosted to 3 points per dollar at major supermarkets and petrol stations, and 2 points per dollar for spend overseas.
For clarity, the supermarkets and petrol stations that are eligible for bonus points are shown in the following tables. These may change from time to time.
| Supermarkets qualifying for bonus points with American Express Platinum Edge |
|---|
| Bi-Lo |
| Coles and Coles Online |
| Fishers |
| Food For Less |
| Fresh Provisions |
| Harris Farm Markets |
| IGA |
| Safeway, Woolworths and Woolworths online, Thomas Dux & BigW |
| Macro Wholefood |
| Superbarn |
| Petrol stations qualifying for bonus points with American Express Platinum Edge |
|---|
| Ampol |
| BP |
| Caltex Woolworths |
| Gull |
| Metro |
| Peak |
| Safeway Petrol, Woolworths Petrol |
| Shell |
| United |
| 7 Eleven |
Using Points
Generally, the best use of points in this program is to convert them into points or miles in a travel loyalty program. Membership Rewards points earned through the Platinum Edge card may be transferred to partners such as Virgin Australia’s Velocity program, Singapore Airlines Krisflyer, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Malaysia Airlines Enrich, and the Starwood Hotels Preferred Guest programs. Qantas is not a partner.
Features
One notable feature of the card is an annual $200 travel credit. This credit can be seen to easily cover the $195 annual fee. The credit is usable to purchase services through American Express travel.
Apart from that. cover for domestic and international travel insurance is provided when using either your American Express Platinum Edge card or your Membership Rewards points to book a return trip. There are a number of conditions on the length of travel and eligibility for cover, so ensure you are familiar with these provisions if you wish to rely on the provided insurance. You can read the full PDS here.
Card feature Summary
| Card Features | |
|---|---|
| Basic Details | |
| Card Name | American Express Platinum Edge |
| Annual fee | $195 |
| Interest Rate | 20.74% p.a. interest rate on purchases |
| Interest Free Period | Up to 55 days |
| Point Earning | |
| Loyalty program | Membership Rewards Ascent |
| Points Earning |
|
| Bonus Points | |
| Points earn rate(Cap/Tier) | Uncapped |
| Other Benefits | |
| Travel benefits |
|
| Included Protections |
|
| Other Fees/Charges | |
| Foreign Transaction Fee | 3% |
| Additional Card Fee | $0 for up to 4 Additional Cards |
Summary – American Express Platinum Edge
Overall, the card is a great all-rounder for a mid-range card. It allows you to earn a good number of points from everyday spend.
On the other hand, if you are tied to Qantas, then the card may not be for you. There is no option to transfer points into the Qantas program.